the party's biggest names begin a packed campaign agenda weeks ahead of the election, but even the president isn't the biggest draw. turning point. tension builds in the middle east. what israel does next could lead to peace or war for years to come. we'll get an update from jerusalem. >> and we're alive. words from jubilant passengers, survivors of this emergency landing all captured on video. good morning. and thanks for being with us on this monday. i'm vinita nair. >> and i'm mike marusarz in for rob nelson. five weeks until midterm elections, and the democrats are fighting to hold on to the control of congress. >> so they are sending the party heavyweights out on the campaign trail. emily schmidt joins us with more on what's at stake for the white house and on capitol hill. good morning, emily. >> reporter: vinita and mike, good morning to you. well, senators this week in

washington are going to wrap up their work here so they can head home and campaign for those critical midterm elections. with just five weeks to go, tactics are ranging from personal to presidential. at the end of september, politics feel like november. >> you ought to be there for him on election day. >> reporter: heavy hitters are campaigning in races that ought to be a cinch in the past. democrat barney frank has been in congress for 30 years, but this year republicans are threatening to take back control of the hill. >> when we don't have people trying to make things worse and trying to obstruct, we can provide the economy that this country deserves. >> people have a right to be angry. they have a right to be disappointed, but they still have to make a choice. an election is not a referendum on their anger, it's a choice between two candidates. >> reporter: bill clinton stumped in two states over the weekend. this week president obama hits four states. states he won in the past. >> it means there is no such thing as a safe state for democrats this year. there is no such thing as a dark blue state. there is no such thing as a safe slam dunk election. >> reporter: both parties are

focused on the economy and who voters trust to fix it. >> they know if they want to save america, they've got to change the congress and that's going to happen on november 2nd. >> this isn't a prescription for economic growth. this is a prescription for surrender. we can't do that. >> reporter: when president obama campaigns in wisconsin this week, democratic senator russ feingold won't be there. the senator is opting for a appearance with the more popular michelle obama scheduled for next month. vinita and mike. >> emily schmidt live in washington, thank you. the new round of mideast peace talks has entered into a crucial phase. the palestinians have threatened to walk out if more jewish settlements are built on the west bank. that new construction could begin as early as today. simon mcgregor-wood joins us from jerusalem with the latest. good morning, simon. >> reporter: good morning, vinita. you're absolutely right. the deadline has come and gone. for those settlers who have

permits for new homes, we think that's about 2,000 who could if they wanted to start building their new homes today. but we cannot see so far at least an explosion of construction. prime minister netanyahu has urged the settler community here to show restraint. last night despite not being able to extend the freeze, he sent a reassuring message to the palestinians urging president abbas to stay on board the peace process. that will definitely be the message from the u.s. administration. the u.s. wanted to see an extension to the settlement freeze. they didn't get that from the israelis, so they're now trying to frantically cobble together some kind of diplomatic solution that will keep the process alive. good news so far today, the palestinians have not yet walked away. president abbas says he will consult with the arab league which meets in cairo next monday, october the 4th, before he decides what to do next, a new deadline, if you like. expect a lot of frantic diplomatic activity between now and then, vinita. >> simon, you mentioned the words restraint and diplomacy. if neither of those work, there are rumors that people are saying this could be war. >> reporter: well, i think

you're probably referring to the king of jordan, the neighbor of both the israelis and the palestinians talking on american television last week threatening or his opinion that if this process irrevocably falls apart, there could be a war before the end of the year. that's his opinion. it is shared by several other people in the region. the israeli/palestinian conflict has always been the cause of great tension in the region, and clearly if this process turns out to be mortally wounded and falls apart completely, that tension can only increase. vinita? >> simon mcgregor-wood live in jerusalem this morning, thank you. now to afghanistan where u.s. and afghan forces are taking on the taliban in one of its traditional strongholds. they are using what is basically long ropes of explosives in order to clear homemade bombs that rebels have left behind. the operation is being conducted along a main route along which the taliban moves both fighters and weapons. at least 20 insurgents have been killed so far. a war crimes case against a group of u.s. soldiers who have

served in afghanistan moves forward today. corporal jeremy morlock and four other soldiers are charged with the premeditated murders of afghan civilians. seven others have been charged in connection with the alleged crimes. today evidence in morlock's case is being laid out to determine if he should be formally tried in a court-martial. there is a full report on the story coming up on "good morning america." it was not the usual sunday sermon at one of the nation's largest churches. bishop eddie long took to the pulpit to defend himself against a sex scandal. he promised to fight the allegations. here's steve osunsami. >> reporter: outside the new birth missionary baptist church here -- >> he's an innocent man. give him the benefit of the doubt. >> reporter: -- when bishop eddie long finally appeared, he seemed more like a rock star than a pastor accused of pushing sex onto teenage boys. >> i've been accused. i'm under attack. i want you to know, as i said

earlier, i am not a perfect man, but this thing i'm going to fight. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: under the advice of his lawyers, he said very little, even at the news conference after his first service where he took no questions. for some this was enough. >> i want the world to know i will support bishop eddie long till the day i die and go to heaven. >> reporter: currently there are four lawsuits, and there's the matter of these pictures. attorneys say long sent them to one of the teenage boys. there were mothers and fathers in church who could not turn a blind eye. >> he didn't just come right out and just say, people, i didn't do it. >> so you think he might be guilty. >> yes. >> reporter: according to long homosexuality is a manifestation of the fallen man. his critics say his lifelong crusade against gays makes him the ultimate hypocrite. >> i feel like david against

goliath, but i got five rocks, and i haven't thrown one yet. >> reporter: steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. and now for this morning's weather from around the nation. a rainy day for most of the east coast in ohio valley. the heaviest downpours in the carolinas and georgia where they will also see flooding, hail and some gusty winds. showers from minnesota to the canadian border. light rain from seattle to tacoma and heat advisories and high fire danger in the southwest. phoenix climbs to 104. sacramento, 97 and boise, 90. low 70s from fargo to dallas. 60s from the twin cities to indianapolis. 62 in boston. 73 here in new york and just shy of 90 in miami. your money news is next. thousands of cars on the newest recall list. the problem that could cause drivers to lose control. then passengers' prayers answered. a frightening emergency landing with one amazing ending. and flood zone in the upper plains. it will be a day of watching those waters rise. we'll show you where.

extra fees are adding up for airline passengers. "usa today" reports that fees are rising, and some are 50% higher than a year ago. new fees like charges for carry-on bags are hitting passengers in their wallets. the newspaper examined fees charged by 13 different airlines. hyundai is recalling nearly 140,000 sonatas in the u.s. due to a steering wheel defect.

the problem could cause drivers to lose control of the steering wheel. the recall affects 2011 models built before september 10th. hyundai says no crashes or injuries are linked to the problem. time for a check of market activity starting overseas. tokyo's nikkei average picked up more than 130 points today. hong kong's hang seng is up in late trading. in london the ftse opened higher. wall street starts the day with the dow jones industrials at 10,860 after gaining 252 points last week. the nasdaq index picked up 65 points last week to close at 2381. an investment banker with close ties to bernie madoff has died. stanley chais had been a well regarded investment manager and fi lann throw pit, but that reputation was marred by accusations he steered hundreds of millions of his clients' dollars to madoff. no criminal charges were ever filed. chais died in new york sunday. he was 84 years old. all right. "wall street: money never sleeps" is king at the box

office. it's the sequel to the original "wall street" movie back from 1987. it stars michael douglas as financier gordon gekko offering an updated take on "greed is good." "legend of the guardians" came in second, "the town" bumped down to third. >> i was one of the many in that crowded theater at "wall street." it was very good. >> can't wait to see it. i want to check it out. coming up next on this monday, refusing to back down, the imam behind the controversial manhattan mosque has new comments about the project. and a big day in sports. michael vick beginning to shine in his new role in philly. highlights from espn coming up. ♪ get up, get moving. subway has breakfast. and it's a slam dunk. i like my breakfast sandwich with green peppers, onion, banana peppers and mustard. i like eggs with black forest ham on wheat. with everything. i like a little kick. that's a good call. i like mine with egg whites. and... a napkin. [ male announcer ] have you built your better breakfast? now's the time!

try our better-for-you western egg white muffin melt or the dee-licious double bacon egg and cheese on toasty flatbread. subway. build your better breakfast. it was a mystery to me. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and with less pain, i can do more of what matters to me. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica.

don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. and vitamin d of regular milk. the rain-swollen wisconsin river has caused a levee to fail cutting off parts of one small community. those who obeyed a day-long evacuation order yesterday might not be allowed back in their homes for a week. the worst may still be ahead with many rivers in both

wisconsin and minnesota expected to crest today. and flooding is also possible today in the southeast on i-85 from raleigh to charlotte and atlanta and on i-40 from knoxville to raleigh. wet on 95 from florida to maine. slick on i-70 around new york city, philadelphia and pittsburgh. wet on i-5 from seattle to tacoma and olympia. >> if you are flying today, you can expect some airport delays in seattle and up and down the east coast from boston to miami. speaking of the air, more than 60 people have quite a story to tell this morning when they get back to work today. >> they are the passengers and crew of a delta air lines flight that was forced to make an emergency landing because of a landing gear problem. >> that's right. saturday night's flight was supposed to land at an airport just north of new york city, but it came down at jfk instead. here's linsey davis. >> reporter: inside the cabin passengers with cell phones captured the announcement you

never want to hear from a pilot. >> brace for impact. >> reporter: that was followed by this terrifying command from the flight attendant. >> heads down, stay down. heads down, stay down. >> that was pretty intense, i will tell you that. you never know in a situation like that. the plane could have tumbled, rolled. i don't know. i'm not an engineer, but thank goodness it all worked out. >> reporter: as emergency crews arrived on the runway, the control tower gave this warning. >> rescue 1, there are 64 souls on board and 3,000 pounds of fuel. >> reporter: the pilot told the control tower. >> 4951, roger, and, better work. >> heads down, stay down. >> reporter: as it touched down, the right wing scraped the tarmac. sparks flew clearly visible through the window but miraculously no fire. [ cheers ] >> reporter: the passengers were surprisingly calm as they were evacuated. emergency crews stood at the ready but weren't necessary. >> i don't know. i'm just really happy to be here.

it was really cool. >> the flight number 4951, so i'm going to play that number. >> reporter: alessandro albero shot some of the cell phone pictures. >> the pilot, you know, did a wonderful job. just got to put your life in their hands and hope for the best. >> woo! >> we're alive. >> reporter: and they certainly got the best possible outcome. fortunately no one was hurt. this despite the fact that the plane landed with only two sets of landing gear, was supposed to have three sets. passengers took a shuttle bus to the final destination in white plains, which is about 40 miles away. linsey davis, abc news, new york. the hunt continues for three men who pulled off a dramatic bank robbery in south florida. investigators got a break this weekend when a car used in the heist was found in coral gables. it all began last week when three thieves placed a bomb on a bank teller's body. they then forced him to withdraw a large amount of money. that bomb turned out to be fake. and in seattle, coast guard investigators are looking into what caused a water taxi to slam

into a pier at full speed. most of the passengers on board were seahawks fans headed to sunday's football game. seven people were taken to the hospital. witnesses have said there appeared to be a mechanical problem. the imam heading up the controversial mosque project near ground zero says the goal is to prevent another 9/11. feisal abdul rauf told "60 minutes" that america and the muslim world need the cultural center and declared his loyalty saying he is ready, willing and able to serve our country. >> if 9/11 happens again, i want to be the first to die. it's my duty as an american muslim to stand between you, the american non-muslim, and the radicals who are trying to attack you. >> rauf is a naturalized american citizen from kuwait. he says building a muslim center in that location is a way of waging peace. all right. tonight on monday night football a great game. green bay taking on chicago. with the highlights from yesterday's nfl action, here's adnan virk at espn news. good morning. we begin with the nfl and the

dallas cowboys looking to avoid starting 0-3 for the first time since 2001. wade phillips' team in need of some energy, in need of a victory more than anything else. tony romo looking to supply that. romo to roy williams, and he's gone. 63 yards for the touchdown. the cowboys win big, 27-13. romo with a couple of tds through the air. lions and the vikings, brad childress' team trying to avoid going 0-3. third quarter, vikes up 17-10 and adrian peterson makes a couple of cuts, goes to his right. a.p. all day. 80 yards for the touchdown, his second one of the game. the vikings get their first win of the season, 24-10. matt cassel, the chiefs hosting the 49ers. san francisco looking to avoid an 0-3 start. third quarter, chiefs up, 10-3. it's the double reverse and a fleaflicker. matt cassel going deep to dwayne

bowe, and bowe knows football. kc, 3-0. 31-10, the final. the eagles and jaguars, michael vick now the starter. under one minute left in the third quarter. eagles up, 21-3. escaping the rush and scrambling up the middle, 17-yard touchdown. one of the most electrifying plays of the weekend. the eagles win easily, 28-3. and the jets visiting the dolphins. braylon edwards spent the first quarter on the sidelines because of his drunken driving arrest. third quarter, jets trailing 17-14. sanchez to edwards, and he is off. 67 yards to the house as the jets are now 2-1. they go on to win this one, 31-23. you're up to date for now. let's go back to you in new york. >> our thanks to espn. up next the stories we will be following today. stay with us. [ male announcer ] "dear focus... "be careful out there. "as you know, we have more standard safety features "than you.

"10 airbags... daytime running lamps... "onstar automatic crash response. "in case ya didn't see it, that's probably why "msn autos called the cruze "the class of its class right now. that seems pretty clear, doesn't it?" the all-new chevrolet cruze. starting under $17,000. get used to more. ♪ let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. gotta get that bacon! smokey bacon, crispy bacon, tasty bacon! where is it? where is the bacon? tv newscaster: bacon popular, "story at 11. dog: yummy. crunchy. bacon. bacon. bacon. there, in that bag! mom: who wants a beggin' strip!? dog: me! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum... it's beggin'! hm... i love you!

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than tylenol 8 hour. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? good, how are you? [ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain. the chill of peppermint. the rich dark chocolate. york peppermint pattie. get the sensation. now a look ahead to the stories we will be watching on this monday. president obama is ready to give small businesses a boost. today he is set to sign the small business jobs act. it aims to help small businesses get loans so they can grow and hire more people. rebuilding of jewish settlements on the west bank could begin as early as today. now that a deadline has expired, the u.s. is trying to keep the issue from derailing the newly restarted peace talks. the book from journalist bob woodward hits the

shelves today. "obama's wars" details the president's struggle to form a new strategy in afghanistan and the infighting that took place around it. diane sawyer interviews woodward tonight on "world news." the actions of army corporal jeremy morlock in afghanistan are the focus of a hearing today. morlock is the first of a group of u.s. soldiers charged with war crimes including the murder of afghan civilians. that hearing will determine if morlock will be tried in a court-martial. and actress lindsay lohan could be back in rehab as early today. the actress has reportedly decided to check herself in on her own. lohan was jailed last week after failing a drug test. she was released on bail friday evening. we'll have more abc news after this, and "good morning america" has some good stories, as well. >> stick around.

in perryville the hollywood casino is open for

business today. >> anquan bolden is pretty good. the ravens beat the browns yesterday but we're already thinking steelers sunday. >> baltimore in the national spotlight. big hearts, big smiles from girls hope on "extreme makeover: home edition." was that fun or what? >> can i have your autograph? >> can you knock it off? >> do you remember me? >> who are you? >> look at your head. no. that was great. >> it was amazing. >> come on, everybody. who did you hear from out of the blue on, like facebook or whatever? >> friends, family, co-workers. i think, it was literally 10 seconds. the whole show was so good and the girls were so moving. the stories were really inspiring. >> great thrill. hope everybody saw it. we'll tell you more about it in a minute. good morning, i'm jamie costello. here's the star. >> i'm not even going to respond. i'm just sending it to justin. please save me with weather. we'll get soaked this

morning. we'll need a rain jacket or umbrella. we have something we have not had in a long time, a rainy pattern, for a couple of days. in fact, most of the week may end up wet but this morning, it's about the rain and spray on the roads, fog, reduced visibility and monday a real hassle to get out the door and get on your way but staying cool all day. more rain, close to three inches may fall before the weather pattern is done. on maryland's most powerful doppler radar, taking you a little closer, heavy yellow and orange, heavy rain. the northwest corner up towards towson and pikesville area. heavy rain continues to pummel the area. and will continue at least for the morning travel which makes it just slick out there. low 60s. we'll try to aim for 72 with showers and mixed in thunderstorms, locally heavy rain this afternoon. let's check the roads with kim, our first check. >> good mornin